Australia Imposes Sanctions and Travel Bans on Taliban Officials

Canberra — Dec. 7, 2025

Australia has imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on four senior officials of Afghanistan’s Taliban government in response to ongoing human rights violations, particularly against women and girls.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that the targeted officials were involved “in the oppression of women and girls and in undermining good governance or the rule of law” in the Taliban-controlled country.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have faced international criticism for restricting the rights of women and girls, including bans on education and employment. The group has claimed it respects women’s rights according to its interpretation of Islamic law and local customs.

The sanctions announced by Wong target three Taliban ministers and the group’s chief justice. She accused them of limiting women’s access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and participation in public life.

“These measures are part of a new framework that allows Australia to directly impose sanctions and travel bans to pressure the Taliban and target the oppression of the Afghan people,” Wong said.

Australia withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 after participating in a NATO-led mission for two decades. Since the Taliban takeover, Australia has resettled thousands of Afghan evacuees, mostly women and children, who now rely heavily on humanitarian aid.
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